What Is Adventurers League?

Tags Adventurers League author-mike-bernier

Do you want to quest throughout mystical realms, battle monsters, and continue your journey across various adventuring groups? Then D&D’s Adventurers League may be right for you!

Below, we cover the basics of Adventurers League, from what it is to how to start running AL adventures as a Dungeon Master to finding a playgroup.

What Is Adventurers League?

Artist: CLAUDIO POZASAn army of blue and yellow garbed soldiers clashes with an army of undead

The D&D Adventurers League is the official organized play system of D&D. It allows your character to travel from one game table to another–across the world and even through digital play–all while keeping your character's progress and loot intact.

You can play Adventurers League at conventions, your local game store, or even at home. Just create your character, choose your setting, and join in on the adventure!

How Does Adventurers League Work?

Adventures in the Adventurers League are episodic. Each session is structured as a one-shot that lasts between two to four hours, but some recurring campaigns can be multi-session games that take you on a journey week after week. This modular approach allows players to hop in and out of games as their schedule allows, making D&D more accessible than ever.

After each session, player characters level up, and between sessions, they keep their loot, gold, and any other rewards they acquired during play. They also can perform downtime activities, like scribing spells and brewing potions.

What Adventures Are Compatible With Adventurers League?

Every official fifth edition adventure is compatible with Adventurers League. There are resources available for DMs to convert these longer, hardcover adventures into episodic sessions that can be run efficiently in Adventurers League play.

There are also Adventurers League adventures that follow storylines from official releases, like this fourteen-part series for Rime of the Frostmaiden, available on DMsGuild.

These series of adventures share settings, plot points, or NPCs with official modules and are referred to as "seasons." They feature storylines adjacent to the main plot found in published modules and are optimized for Adventurers League play.

If you’re looking for Adventurers League adventures created by the community, DMsGuild contains a wealth of options. Head to the DMsGuild Adventurers League hub to browse the catalog!

Participating in Adventurers League

Artist: DOMENICO CAVAFour players sit around a candle-lit table playing a mysterious game.

Players

All characters created for Adventurers League must follow specific guidelines, which can be found in the D&D Adventurers League Player's Guide.

In Adventurers League, creating a character starts with selecting a campaign setting, such as the Forgotten Realms or Eberron, which determines the adventures your character can undertake. This choice is permanent for your character once you start playing, as some character choices from one setting don’t work within other settings.

Your next steps mostly follow the typical path of character creation, with some limitations. The list below is a generalized overview of the steps in the Adventurers League Player’s Guide. It’s recommended to read the guide thoroughly before creating your character:

  1. Choose a species or lineage, using the rules for a custom lineage found in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything if you wish.
  2. Pick your class.
  3. Assign your ability scores. You have two methods for this process: standard array or point buy.
  4. Pick your background, which you can choose from the options available or create using the Customizing a Background rule from the Player’s Handbook. You also choose a feat from Skilled or Tough if your background doesn't offer a feat.
  5. Pick your alignment, as long as it’s non-evil, your deity, if you want to worship one, and your faction, if you want to belong to one.
  6. Equip your character with their starting equipment or sell it for gold and use that to decide your loadout.

Be sure to reference the "What Rulebooks Should I Use?" sidebar in the Adventurers League Player’s Guide to determine which character options you have to choose from.

Congrats! Your AL-legal character is ready. All you need to do is find an Adventurers League game to join and start your adventure.

Dungeon Masters

The unsung heroes of Adventurers League are the DMs who spend their time and resources to make adventuring possible. If you’re interested in starting your Adventurers League tenure as a DM, be sure to thoroughly read through the Adventurers League Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Part of what makes the Adventurers League episodic structure attractive for DMs is that you only need to prep for the immediate adventure; you don’t need to worry about the setting’s lore or history. These adventures are only two to four hours long and include a relatively high amount of combat, which makes prep even more straightforward.

To sign up for Adventurers League events as a DM, search for your local game store using our store locator and contact the organizers. They will have information on what modules will be run and what materials you will need to bring.

Finding an Adventurers League Group

Part of the fun of Adventurers League is the flexibility to play with various groups, allowing you to enjoy a new set of companions each session. You can find groups at local gaming stores, connect with players on the official D&D Discord, or participate in in-person and virtual play events through the Yawning Portal.

Adventurers League Resources

Supporting Resources and Documents

Additional Links

Join In on the Adventure!

Adventurers League is an excellent way for players and DMs to venture to new realms and play with new companions.

Whether you're an experienced player seeking fresh adventures or a newcomer to tabletop roleplaying games, playing at a convention or your local game store, Adventurers League provides an easy way to jump into the game and start playing D&D!

Keep an eye on D&D Beyond for more articles and updates featuring the Adventurers League!

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Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.

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